Hunger Games 2

Apollo gave him an odd look when he spoke. Why wouldn't he wanted to be just like him? He was obviously strong, and he seemed to know what to do. He smiled brightly when he jumped into the project, and he took Willow's arm. "Come on! Let's go find a spot for the treehouse in the trees!" he said, and he started to climb one of the trees.

Felix managed a small smile at her words, and he sighed to himself. "I'm a bit afraid of what you would think about my family and friends, Especially with all of this," he said, and he took her hand before guiding her off to the side. "Let's just get done with this stupid makeover thing," he said with a small sigh. He couldn't believe that he had let Noah and Josh talk him into this!

Dayton chuckled once more at their enthusiasm. It was different to see Willow act almost like a...kid. Willow followed after him and hesitated when she stared up at the trees. "Uh, go on up without me," she said with a nervous smile. She wouldn't admit it, but heights scared her, especially when she could barely walk without falling, much less climb a tree.

Madison sent him a smile and gave his hand a small squeeze. "Felix, your friends seem....well, cool. Better than my friends ever were," she told him before she leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Besides," she began, giggling, "I think it would be pretty funny to see you in makeup. My brother would never let me give him a makeover."

Apollo gave her an odd look when she seemed to not want to climb with him. "It okay. I won't let you fall," he said, and he reached his hand out for her. He didn't want to search alone. Besides, it was her treehouse anyway. He sent her a smile, waiting for her to take his hand.

Felix smiled at her words. They gave him am odd sense of comfort. It seemed to make him happier, and he sent her a dorky smile of is own. He sighed before sitting down. "Okay, you can do my makeup if you truly please." He wished that maybe he just needed to calm down.

Willow still seemed hesitant. She didn't want to embarrass herself, or much worse, break her arm. Yet, she finally took his hand and began to scramble up the tree. She was barely two feet off the ground with her arms tightly around the tree. Her eyes were squinted close. "This high enough?" she asked, before she peeked an eye open. Nope. Definitely not high enough.

Madison grinned and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Great," she said happily as she began to put foundation on him. She couldn't help but giggle at the color. "This isn't exactly your shade," she murmured before she began to blend it in. She then pulled out the mascara and grinned. "Open your eyes and look up."

Apollo gave her an odd look when she seemed to think that barely going up with be high enough. "Nope, we have to go higher. Here, take my hand and don't let go of it. I promise I won't let you fall," he said with a smile, and he took her hand tightly, keeping a strong grip on her.

Felix grew a bit scared again once she started to put on the makeup. He was terrified of what he looked like. "What do I look like? Is it really that bad?" he asked. His eyes widened when she grabbed some makeup. "What is that? What are you doing with that?" he asked quickly. He had never seen some of these things before!

Willow bit her lip and glanced at Dayton, who was giving her a thumbs up. Thanks for the help, Day. She sighed as she gripped Apollo's hand, inching her way up gradually. "If I fall...I blame you," she muttered, frowning over at him. She hated heights. She already felt anxious as it was.

Madison giggled and rolled her eyes at his many questions. "You look....," she paused to giggle. "Cute," she stated before she opened up the mascara. At his constant questions, she rolled her eyes and said, "It is mascara. Now, look up so I can put it on you." She leaned forward, grinning over at him.

Apollo smiled, and he rolled his eyes. "I'd never let you go," he said, and he helped her climb up. After getting pretty high up, he smiled to himself and stopped. "This is the perfect stop for a tree house! Imagine sliding all the way down from here, Wills!" he said, and he sat down on a branch, still holdkn her hand incase she tripped or fell. "I can't wait for this! It's going to be amazing," he said.

Felix blushed a bit when she called him cute. Did she really think that? He sure did hope so. "Okay, mascara. I think I have heard of that," he said, and he but his lip nervously before looking up. "Just please don't poke my eye. It hard enough to see as it is," he said. He had horrible vision, and he just couldn't tell why. All if his family had perfect vision.

Willow bit down on her bottom lip and nodded, following up after him. She hoped she wasn't shaking as much as she felt that she was. Don't look stupid. Don't look stupid. When they finally were high enough, she relaxed, but instantly tensed when she realized how high they actually were. "Pollo...I-I don't know about this. It looks pretty....dangerous," she said nervously.

Madison giggled softly and murmured, "Trust me, I think I am probably the best person here to do your makeup." She glanced over at Astrid, who seemed to be doing an okay job on Noah, and Peyton, who was failing miserably. "Okay, now just stay still," she stated as she carefully began to apply the mascara.

Apollo gave her a smal smile, and he shook his head. "Trust me, we will be fine. The treehouse will be just like any other house. And imagine sliding down it. It will be so much fun!" he said, and he sent her one of his winning smiles. "You just have to trust me," he said to her, and he gave her a wink, trying in any way to help her calm down. All she needed to do was relax.

Felix tried his best not to flinch as she placed the mascara on his eyelashes and started to apply it. It sure did feel weird, and he blinked a lot. "This just doesn't feel right. Why are my eyelashes so heavy?" he asked, and he bit his lip nervously. He just wanted to see what he looked like. He probably looked insane.

Willow tried to appear calm, but she was freaking out on the inside. She wished she could be fearless like Dayton; sometimes, it seemed like he wasn't scared of anything. "Y-yeah, okay," she whispered, sending him a weak smile of her own. Dayton then called up to them, "We can started on some steps. It will be a bit easier to climb that way."

Madison couldn't help but giggle at his comment. She then quickly scolded, "Stop blinking. You are only going to mess it up." She quickly finished up the mascara before sitting back to give it a once over. She couldn't help but smirk. He sure did look....different with makeup on. "It would probably look better if the foundation was in your shade."

Apollo listened to her, and he nodded at her suggestion. "Yeah, that sounds good! Now come on, let's get going," he said, and he gave her a smile before he started to climb down, keeping a grip on her so she wouldn't fall. He managed to get down, and then he jumped when he was close enough to the ground. "Do you need help?" he asked her.

Felix smiled lightly when she said that he didn't look too bad. Well, it could be a lot worse. "Is that all? I think we are pretty good. I want my cookies," he said. He just wanted all of it to be over with. He sighed to himself, and he closed his eyes. "It doesn't feel right."

Willow had inched her way down but her eyes were closed the entire time. She gritted her teeth and peeked an eye open. "No, no. I don't need help," she lied, but didn't move an inch from her spot. She paused for a moment before she asked, "Am I on the ground yet?" She glanced down but instantly regretted it.

Madison giggled and grabbed some lipstick. "Not quite. Pucker your lips," she instructed before she began to apply the lipstick. She then leaned back to study her work. "Okay, go get your cookies," she stated with a small smirk. He sure did look....different. She had to stifle a giggle.

Aspen have her a look, and he rose his brow. She didn't need help? Really? "Come on, let me help you down," he said. He smiled lightly and took her hand once more. Was she going to be okay and get down by herself? He highly doubted it.

Felix sighed to himself when she said that he wasn't quiet done yet. When would it end! When she was finished putting on whatever she was, he quickly got up and ran to the cookies. Noah and Josh hadn't gotten to them yet. "I win!" he yelled and handed a cookie to Maddie. "You want one?" He asked.

Willow was about to protest, but she knew otherwise she would be stuck there all day until her arms gave out, and she dropped to the ground. So, it would be just best to accept the help. She gripped his hand and carefully made her way down the tree. "I could have done it myself," she lied.

Madison laughed and rolled her eyes as she took a cookie. "Thanks," she murmured with a half smile. She leaned against the wall and glanced from Noah and Josh to Astrid and Peyton, who was talking among themselves. "So let me get this straight," she began, "I know you, Astrid. And you are Noah." She pointed from both of them before she continued on. "And you are....," she paused as she glanced at Josh. "Wait don't tell me," she began, thinking it over.

A little more than three months later...

Death. The word rang in her ears every second of every day. She felt as if she were dead. How long has she been in this basement again? Her eyes trailed to the wall. Every day since she had woken up, she had etched a marking onto the wall. Thus far, she had 98 markings. It had been at least three months. Each day, she wished to find her way out to no avail. Perhaps she was as weak as everyone thought. Perhaps all she was was a nuisance. Perhaps Astrid did not even miss her. Who /could/ miss her? Felix. Felix would surely miss her. He would want her to be strong; he would want her to find her way out—find her way back to him. She couldn't give up. She mustn't, because Felix needed her. Felix loved her. She inspected the shackles. There was a weak link in the chains. If only she could break that free. If only...Her eyes trailed around the room, finally resting on a hammer off to the side; it lied on the table only a few inches away from her. Perfect, if only she could reach it. If she were to count all the "if onlys" she had thought of throughout her years, it would add up to the amount of days she had spent there. Ninety-eight. She hoped not to make it a ninety-nine. Reaching out with her fingertips, she attempted to grasp the hammer. The end brushed her rough fingertips; the nails were bitten to the quip. Eventually, she made contact with the hammer and held it between her fingers. With that, she reared back and hit at the weak link. It took twenty tries before it finally caved and the chain fell to the ground. Relief surged through her as she pulled herself to her numb legs. They were barely cooperative, but this mere fact did not matter. She could go for a nice long shower to rid of the grime that covered her body; though, that could wait. Felix wouldn't mind what she looked like as long as he knew she was alive. "I'm coming Felix. I'm coming."

--

The amount of effort it required to limp down the street was quite appalling. Her limps refused to work; her legs were as sturdy as limp noodles—so hardly sturdy at all. The only relief that filled her was the sound of blaring music and sirens farther off. Though she knew she should have went to the police, she couldn't quite stop herself from heading towards the party. What if Felix was present? She couldn't help herself from at least trying. As she reached the window, she peered inside; her heart swelled when she noticed Felix. Though, it fell the moment she saw the look on his face. He appeared drained, depressed, un-Felix-like. She wanted nothing more than to rush in there and tug him in a hug. Yet, in amidst of her thoughts, she had lost Felix. He had disappeared into the crowd. She rounded the house to another window. Once more she found Felix. However, her heart dropped as she noticed him kissing another person; on closer inspection, she recognized her as Maddie—aka the well-known, popular girl of the century. Confusion and pain ranged across her face; it was obvious that Felix had moved on. Moved on from her. Piper's last array of hope was lost. No one had missed her after all. Her thoughts were a coursing storm, and all she was certain of was that she had to get out of there. She turned and rushed off. Her eyes blurred with tears; the tears washed clean paths down her ashen face. She only made it into the ominous forest in the dead of night before she tripped over a rotten, fallen limb and blacked out into abyss.
...

Felix sat on the couch of some person's house. He wasn't really sure whose house it was, but he didn't ask. He had just agreed with Noah. It took him quite a while to integrate back into society after the games. He was bullied a bit for what all had happened, but every step of the way, Josh, Peyton, Noah, Maddie, and even Astrid were there for him whenever he needed someone. He was more than lucky to have them. From time to time, he would think of Piper and her smile. All the jokes she would make. Even though he was with Maddie, he still felt pain for losing her. The reason why he looked so sad was because he was terrified that Maddie had been caught by her older brother while trying to go to the party. He started looking for her, and when he found her, eh was more than happy. He kissed her and hugged her, not caring that people were looking. "You look so nice tonight!" he said, smiling a bit. It seemed that when she snuck out, she dressed a bit more racy, and he loved it. "Let's see if we can find anyone we know," he said. He had an odd feeling that someone was watching him, but he had become accustomed to the feeling considering that everyone watched him. He could never understand why they did. Leon sighed a bit, looking out the window from his house. He didn't live in a suburban area, but he was close enough to another house that he could hear the loud music, and considering that he had work the next morning, he needed his sleep. He started to walk over to the house to ask for them to kindly tone the party down, but as he was almost to the house, he tripped over something. After getting up, he realized that it was a body! Wait, the girl was still alive. He could only guess that she was from the party. He picked her up, and oddly enough, he didn't smell any alcohol on her. So maybe he was completely wrong about her being from the party. She looked like she hit her heard on something. He took her back to his house, setting her on his bed and tucking her head before inspecting the small wound on her head.

A familiar smile tugged onto Madison's lips as hers met Felix's. Her slim arms momentarily wound around him. "Sorry, I would have been sooner, but my brother took forever to head to bed," she muttered, shaking her head. Most of the time, she stayed with her brother, since her parents were always on business trips. She would never admit it, but it always hurt her that they were never around. She needed her parents more than she was ever willing to admit. "Maybe Noah talked Astrid into coming along," she commented, leaning into Felix as they weaved their way through the crowd that had gathered. Minute later, Piper's eyes flew open. Immediately, her hands went to her wrist, which had been rubbed raw from the shackles that had been there before. It hadn't been a dream after all; she had actually escaped her capture's clutches. Her attention then drifted to the man, and she nearly rolled off the bed. The pain in her head only registered a moment later. "Who are you? Where am I? Felix...where is Felix?" she spouted off, whipping her head around the room, but only increasing the pain; she clutched her head as the throbbing pulsed through her temples.

Felix chuckled a bit, nodding in agreement as he heard her. "It's okay. I figured that was what was keeping you. You are hardly the person to stand someone up," he said, and he took her hand, looking around for his cousin. He finally found him in an intense game of beer pong, but since he knew with his father being the president and all, he couldn't drink too much, and he had Astrid on his team to make sure of that. he glanced up when he heard his name being called. "Felix! Maddie! Good to see you guys. You know, Astrid is actually killer at this! I might bring her to every party," he said, wrapping an arm around her with a laugh. Leon had make her a cup of coffee by the time she woke up, and he was rather surprised to see her awake that early. She seemed rather distraught. "Hey, calm down. You're safe," he said, kneeling down so that he was eye level with her on the floor. He began to tell her where she was. "My name is Leonardo, but I go by Leon. Actually my full name is Leonardo Atlas Rousseau, but since that is such a mouthful, just call me Leon," he said. He noticed how she was in pain, so he grabbed some pain medication from his bedside table along with the cup of coffee he had made for her. Luckily, he had fixed her wound before she woke up. "Maybe you can tell me who you are and who exactly this Felix guy is. Is he your boyfriend? If you came form that party down the road, I can easily bring you back there to him if you want," he said. He just wanted the girl to feel safe.

As soon as Felix took her hand, Maddie weaved her fingers through his, lacing them together easily. She followed blindly after him; a smile tugged on her lips when she noticed Noah and Astrid, finally. Rolling her eyes, Astrid nudged Noah lightly with her elbow. Though parties were never the same without Piper around, she was slowly growing accustomed to life without her best friend. It wasn't easy, and there were still nights she would cry herself to sleep, but she was managing - or that was what she continued to tell herself. "I wouldn't call it killer," she replied with a mere eye roll, leaning up to press a brief kiss to his cheek. Biting back the pain that meandered through her brain, Piper attempted to focus on Leon's words; carefully, she took the pain medicine and held the warm coffee mug between her hands. "Piper...my name is Piper," she whispered finally, her voice cracking as she spoke. The following question struck a chord within her. Felix...and Maddie. "No, not really anymore. It is rather a long story," she mumbled, resting her head in her hands.

Felix looked over at his cousin, smirking a bit. He had never been good at party games, mainly because he never usually went to parties. Noah, on the other had, was always the life of the party, and he had to admit, sometimes he went a little overboard. Noah smirked a bit, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a soft kiss to her neck. "I would say so," he whispered. Ever since everything happened. Astrid had been living with Noah, and he loved every bit of it. The two of them would watch Aladdin every now and again. Noah tried making her a cookie cake too, just for old times sake. It was rather interesting. Leon nodded for a moment, taking in what she had said. "Piper. That's a pretty name," he said, and he glanced out his window. He could see the lights from the house. "So did that Felix guy break up with you and hook up with another girl. If he did anything like that, I won't be afraid to really mess with him. Guys who plays girls are no men at all," he said, and he leaned back against the wall for a moment, thinking. "Unless you want me to take you there. I mean, I could make him jealous for you," he said jokingly, raising a brow. he prayed this girl had a sense of humor.

Nudging him lightly, Astrid rolled her eyes and muttered, "Of course you would." A smile peeked on her lips nevertheless, and she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before she grabbed another ball. "I probably should stop, but...," she merely shrugged and dropped the ball once more against the table and into the red solo cup. In these moments, it was easy to forget; perhaps it wasn't the best idea to drink her worries away, but it was the only way that she actually felt alive. When she was left alone to her thoughts, the memories ate away at her. Sometimes she would wake to nightmares, coated in seat, only to find that she was in the comfort of Noah's four walls. Shifting on the bed, Piper pressed her head against the fluffy pillow in hopes of easing her mind. His question was like another stab in the gut, another memory she didn't want to relive. "It isn't nearly that simple," she whispered, chewing on her bottom lip uncertainly. "He thinks I am dead. All of Panem does," she answered, swallowing back the bile that rose of her throat. His following statement brought a tentative smile to her lips; though this man that she barely knew helped her ease her mind, she was still cautious. She hadn't actually been around guys, especially startlingly attractive ones in months. "That won't be necessary. If he saw this face," she began, pointing at herself, "I don't think he would even notice you." A slightly playful smile appeared on her lips; yet, she knew it wouldn't last. The pain, emotional and physical, would all return - it didn't all disappear just because of a guy.

The only bad thing about bring Astrid along with him to regulate his drinking was that sometimes Astrid could get a bit carried away in the drinking herself. Good thing he learned a thing or two about discipline when he was in the games. "You know what, maybe the four of us should go back to my place. We can all watch a movie and order some pizza. Besides, we all know Fe hates loud places," he said, and Felix nodded in agreement. He loathed being at parties where you had to yell just to get a word in. Noah looked out the window of one of the rooms, and he smirked a bit, seeing a cabin. "Hey Maddie, I dare you to go to that cabin and knock on the window with the lights on," Noah said with a smirk. Okay, maybe he was a little drunk. Good think neither Madison nor Felix had been drinking. He hoped they hadn't. Leon paused a moment as he heard her. He finally connected the dots. "You are the Piper from the games," he said quietly. He bit his lip nervously before taking her hand. "I'm really sorry," he said. He had an idea of what she was going through, and he sighed a bit himself. Why did this girl have to be so beautiful? "I believe that would happen to nay man," he said with a smirk when she mentioned the Felix guy not even noticing him if he saw her. "Here, I will go to the party and find him and say a word or two to him. Just tell me what he looks like," he said. He was willing to do almost anything for this girl.

"Oooo, I love pizza," Astrid slurred as she swished the contents of the current drink she was holding. She then placed it on the pool table and climbed onto Noah's back, resting her chin on his shoulder. "We can watch scary movies. I won't even scream," she continued; though, it was a lie. Scary movies only brought back the horrors of the games. Though, her slightly drunken mind didn't register that. At Noah's comment, Maddie furrowed her brows at him, staring at him as if he were crazy. "Are you insane? I am sure whoever lives there can't sleep because of this," she commented with an eye roll. However, Astrid hopped off of Noah's back at that and grabbed Maddie by the wrist. "Come on, I will even go with you. I won't let any big, bad scary guys chop you to pieces," she cooed, ruffling Maddie's hair. In response, Maddie rolled her eyes and let out a long sigh. "Ash, you had too much to drink." Piper let him comfort her; though, she did not respond to his touch. She chewed on her lower lip at his suggestion and shook her head quickly. "No, please don't. If he is going to find out that I am alive, I want it to be from me," she whispered, trailing her eyes up to the ceiling as she did so. "I actually don't want to be alone either. He is already probably looking for me," she stated, meaning Xander.

Noah laughed, his head spinning a bit. Felix took a worried look at Maddie, and he shook his head. "I am going to help him to my car. I will come back early in the morning to get the others," he said. He could tell that it was going to be a long night. He turned around, but by then Noah was gone, and his eyes widened. "Where did he go!" he asked, but his question was answered when he saw him headed for the cabin. He started to race after him. Leon looked down at her. He could see where she was coming from. He was a bit of an odd situation. He didn't even want to know who he was. "Well, I mean, you don't seem to have much else of a place to go. I get a little lonely. Would you mind staying here?" he asked. He would have gotten the answer if it weren't for hearing some drunk people making their way to his cabin. "I'll handle them," he said, stepping outside. Noah was about to the window when he saw Leon get out and well...he was buff. "Yo, Fe, I bet you could beat up this guy," he said.

Maddie practically stumbled after Astrid as she dragged her along. It was all she could to do keep from falling to the ground. "Astrid, we shouldn't bother people," she hissed under her breath, but Astrid refused to listen to her. Maddie's mouth flew open as Leon stepped out of the cabin. "Felix, don't even try it," she muttered. This was going to be one hell of a night. As Piper shifted in the bed, she considered his offer, uncertainty clouding her gaze. "Oh, well...," she began, though she didn't have time to answer due to the slurred words of people outside. She peered out the window, and her eyes widened as she noticed her old "gang" if that is what she could call it.

Felix narrowed his eyes at Noah. "Shut up if you don't want your dad to hear about this," he muttered, and he looked at the man, stepping a bit closer. "I am so sorry for this. My friends...," he paused, glaring at Noah the entire time, "had a little bit too much. We didn't mean to cross your property or anything. I just came to stop him from doing any further damage," he said. He took a glance inside the window, and he would have continued on, but he saw something. Without another word, he ran to the nearest door, running to the room. "Piper," he whispered as he saw her. How could it be? She died in his arms. Just moments later, he was pinned against the wall. "What do you think you're doing!" Leon yelled, narrowing his eyes. Noah watched from outside, giggling like a school girl. "Felix is about to get it handed to him."